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A Lit Life

Latest Podcast Episodes & Posts

How to Get Out of a Reading Slump

February 27, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
The reading life is full of ups and downs. From time to time, you might find yourself stuck in a reading slump and reading slump can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You might find yourself stuck in a genre, reading...
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Michelle Knudsen: The Dragon of Trelian

February 23, 2024 in Kidlit Love Podcast
Today, I am talking with Michelle Knudsen. Michelle is the author of 50 children’s books: from early readers, board books and picture books to middle grade, young adult and even short stories, too.  While we don’t have enough time to talk about all of her books, we do highlight a few...
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100 Days of Notebooking with Michelle Haseltine

February 20, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
If you love notebooking or journaling, then you’re in for a treat inside today’s episode. Today, I’m chatting with Michelle Haseltine. Michelle is a lifelong notebooker (with 99 completed notebooks and counting!) and leader of the 100 Days of Notebooking Facebook Group. Her work has brought so much inspiration to my...
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Cynthia Harmony: A Flicker of Hope

February 16, 2024 in Kidlit Love Podcast
Today, I’m chatting with Cynthia Harmony, author of multiple picture books that celebrate the beauty of multiple languages, the world around us, family and home.  Come listen as we talk about her journey to writing, the threads that ties her books together and take a deep dive into her upcoming release:...
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Picture Books You’ll Adore

February 13, 2024 in Uncategorized
While Valentine’s Day might occur in February, it’s ALWAYS a good time to enjoy a delightful picture book you’ll love. You’re sure to enjoy these books on your own as an adult and with the young children in your life, too. This collection was curated by Amy Soto. Also known as, Mother...
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Book Projects I Adore

February 13, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Bookish love is in the air and today, I’m talking about something I adore…and am often jealous about, too.  Come listen as I talk about the bookish projects that are lighting up my reading heart, from gluten-free pies and book ornaments to book quilts and flat-lays, too.  Then, I’ll talk with...
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Marisa Quinn: Happy Hands

February 9, 2024 in Kidlit Love Podcast
Today, I am talking with Marisa Quinn about her debut picture book: Happy Hands.  It’s a delightfully loveable story about a young boy who is eager to make friends on his first day of Kindergarten, only to find out that his ‘happy hands’ make that more challenging than he thought. It’s...
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Books to Beat the Winter Blues

February 6, 2024 in Restorative Reading & Writing for Wellness
Right now, we are smack dab in the middle of winter. The days are shorter, the sun sets earlier, the wind is colder and for many, that brings on a case of the so-called winter blues. We can feel less motivated, our overall mood can decrease and we might feel stuck...
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ABOUT

Stephanie

A book-loving, notebook-hoarding bookologist on a mission to change lives one book and one notebook at a time.

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Stephanie's books

Paperweight
Paperweight
by Meg Haston
I read this hauntingly beautiful book on the recommendation of my teenage daughter. She told me it was powerful, told me I wouldn't want to stop reading it...and she was right. Meg Haston invites readers into the mind of Stevie, causing ...
The Gifts of Imperfection
it was amazing
The Gifts of Imperfection
by Brené Brown
I haven't stumbled across anything written by Brene Brown that I did not love and this book is no exception. Written so conversationally as if Brene was literally speaking directly, and only, to me, I could'n help bu be personally moved ...
I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
it was amazing
I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
by Anne Bogel
True to its title, this book was simply delightful. I felt like I was talking with a long-lost friend, a fellow book-lover whose life was just as entangled with the plots, settings and characters of fictional books as they were those in ...
Some Places More Than Others
it was amazing
Some Places More Than Others
by Renée Watson
It was almost like I was reading a book that was written just for me, even though the daily lives and locations of the characters were vastly different. The theme of love, self-worth and family connection was prevalent on each and every ...
Touching Spirit Bear
it was amazing
Touching Spirit Bear
by Ben Mikaelsen
This book shook me to my motherly core. I read this with my 13-year old twins as part of a school assignment and was swept into Cole's story of literally fighting for survival and for love. My children were drawn to Cole's story of survi...

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This book was a gorgeous exploration into love, lo This book was a gorgeous exploration into love, loss, family and the complications among them. Tasked with clearing out her family’s home after both her parents passed, Plum wades through the objects of the home and the emotions of her heart. It’s filled with lyrical writing and an invitation to consider our own roots, our own stuff and our next moves.

#ALitLife
#Memoirs
Surprise! I’m here with a bonus episode to close Surprise!

I’m here with a bonus episode to close out the end of National Library week with a delightful middle grade biography of an important bookish figure: Ursula Nordstrom.

Plus, for the first time ever, I invited an additional guest on to share the book love with me. Come listen!

@mother_goose_librarian
#KidLitLove PODCAST LINK IN BIO!
#ALitLife
#MiddleGrade
A Note From My Nudge Notebook… This week, I was i A Note From My Nudge Notebook…

This week, I was inspired to write a really terrible first draft of a picture book inspired by a conversation with my father and grandfather AND the writing advice from inside this incredible middle grade biography by Nancy Hudgins: BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU. Ursula Nordstrom will now stand on my writing shoulders forever.

What acts of inspired action are you taking from the books you’ve read this week?

#NudgeNotebook
Middle grade novels hold a unique kind of magic an Middle grade novels hold a unique kind of magic and Ann Braden unlocks that magic with every novel she writes.

Her newest book is no exception.

HIJACKED BY GOATS is a heartfelt middle grade novel that delicately captures Josie’s inner world and the sheer number of compulsive and overwhelming thoughts that battle for her attention. Officially diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Josie progresses through residential treatment and outpatient therapy as she navigates recovery and a kinder way of treating herself.

Ann delicately captures the challenges Josie faces, the overwhelming thoughts and feelings that won’t let her rest and the brave choices she makes to move through them with the support of new friends, family and knowledgeable professionals.

While every middle grade reader might not be able to relate to Josie directly, they WILL be able to relate to going through something hard, wishing away particular thoughts or feelings or knowing someone who is struggling with their mental health. So will every adult reading this book, too.

This book so beautifully captures the entirety of the human condition and invites every emotion to the table, holding out a hand to those that need it and providing a window of empathy to those that need that, too.

It’s an incredible book and I’m forever grateful for having read it.

@annbradenbooks
#KidLitLove
#ALitLife
#MiddleGrade
#OCD
#Bibliotherapy
This. I know this face. I’ve made this face. I now This. I know this face. I’ve made this face. I now have better words to explain the significance of it and the love it holds. Thank you, Ann. ❤️

HIJACKED BY GOATS by Ann Braden

Coming September 2026
Full review coming soon.
@annbradenbooks
A restorative reading and writing practice doesn't A restorative reading and writing practice doesn't just feel good.....it sends a signal of safety to our nervous systems and THAT is what starts well-being at a cellular level.

Come listen as I talk about the one thing standing in the way of a reading and writing life that makes your actual life better and helps you feel better, too. 

We'll take a sensory audit of our reading and writing and brainstorm key ways to speak the language of our bodies and truly enhance our practice. 

Click the podcast link in my bio or visit me on Substack to listen!
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